Module 1

Supply Chain Management and Strategy

What can you expect?

In the last two decades, leading-edge companies have significantly improved their operations in manufacturing and quality management with improvements and reengineering efforts. Currently, top management focus at their Supply Chain and logistics to enhance competitiveness. The last decade also witnessed increased globalization of the world economy. Globalization is now both cost driven as well as market driven. This implies that companies operate at an international scale with the objective of identifying cheaper sources for parts and components as well to broaden the markets for their fi nished products.

Having to move the inputs as well as fi nished products over greater distances implies that effi cient management of Supply Chain and logistics is vital. Whereas inventory, warehousing and transportation costs still increase at manufacturers, retailers complain over an increasing stock-out problem on the shelves. However, with improvements in information and computing technology, accurate information and sophisticated models can be used for reducing the costs and enhancing the performance of Supply Chains.

The major learning objectives of the module are to :

This module will primarily cover strategic issues in Supply Chain and logistics management, but the operational links will be ever-present. A common terminology and a platform for Supply Chain performance evaluation are introduced through the SCOR reference model.

Topics covered include the Fisher classifi cation of effi ciency and responsive Supply Chains, Hill's operation strategic principles in logistics management, Supply Chain coordination, Supply Chain and logistics systems design, assignment of coordination roles, transportation and warehousing management, vendor managed inventory. The module will thus provide a solid conceptual basis for the following modules.

Prof. Per Agrell
Envisaged case study and visit: "SMART Cars"
Location: Hambach (F)
Date: January 10-12, 2013